Tsunami Photos and News

Tsunami (pronounced tsoo-NAH-mee) is a Japanese word meaning "harbor wave." A tsunami is a wave or series of waves that are generated in a body of water by a sudden disturbance that displaces water. They are typically caused by earthquakes and landslides in coastal regions. Volcanic eruptions, nuclear explosions, and even impact of meteorites, asteroids, and comets from outer space can generate a tsunami.

The latest Tsunami (2004 December 26 00:58:49 UTC [07:58:49 local time in Jakarta and Bangkok]) came just three days after a magnitude 8.1 earthquake in a completely uninhabited region west of New Zealand's Auckland Islands, and north of Australia's Macquarie Island. Also the earthquake struck almost exactly one year (within an hour) after a magnitude 6.6 earthquake killed an estimated 30,000 people in the city of Bam in Iran (2003 December 26 01:56:52 UTC) . For more information try Wikipedia

Bush: Stingy or what?!

The texan pledged $15 million after waiting three days to the millions affected on the other side of the world. Here is what you can do with $15 million in America:
• Signup Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon or Drew Barrymore. They are all worth $15 million each per film and they are only in joint position 5 in hollywood.
• Pay $10 million to the winner of the "Who wants to be a Millionaire" Show, and pocket the rest $5 million!
• Pay what the Brave's spent for a face lift to Turner Field in Atlanta.
• Pay AmeriDebt's debts of $15 million to the Internal Revenue Service.
• Give back to Michael Jackson, what he paid to settle a boy's 1993 sex abuse claim.
• Give back what Howard Dean raised in the fourth quarter of 2003 towards his presidential campaign.
• Have the same amount in bank, as John Kerry did when he ended his campaign.
• Pay up MTA (Metro Transit Authority) Officers' Overtime salary for the year 2004.
• Repeat Clinton's $15 million gun buyback program.
• You already have what Mel Gibson made from The Passion of the Christ on its opening night!
• Pay NBA center Patick Ewing's salary for one season.> America already spent 150 Billion to "save Iraqis from Saddam", but they only have $15 million for South East Asians.

Biggest / Worst Natural Disasters

HIGHEST DEATH TOLL FROM A FLOOD

An estimated 900,000 people were killed when the Huang He (Yellow River), Huayan Kou, China, burst its banks in October 1887.

HIGHEST DEATH TOLL FROM A TSUNAMI

Following an earthquake off the coast of Sanriku, Japan, in 1896, approximately 27,000 people were drowned when a tsunami hit the coast.

HIGHEST DEATH TOLL FROM A VOLCANIC ERUPTION

When the Tambora volcano in Sumbawa, Indonesia (then the Dutch East Indies) erupted from April 5-10, 1815, 92,000 people were killed.

HIGHEST DEATH TOLL FROM AN EARTHQUAKE

An earthquake that struck the Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Henan Provinces of China on February 2, 1556, is believed to have killed approximately 830,000.

HIGHEST EARTHQUAKE DEATH TOLL OF MODERN TIMES

The highest earthquake death toll in modern times was caused by one that hit Tangshan, China, on July 28, 1976. The official figure of 655,237 deaths

"Prime Minister" Sonia

We are happy to see that at least one Newspaper in India has the guts to identify the real Prime Minister, and print it at the top of their front page. But, knowing the history of the newspaper group, it came as no surprise. This came at the same time when Rediff ran an article saying PVN Rao, a former Prime Minister, was denied a state funeral in the capital by Sonia Gandhi.

The times we live in

US and Airport Security The federal agency in charge of airline screening yesterday (Dec 22 2004) changed its policy on patdowns, in part because of complaints by women passengers about searches of their chests. From now on, screeners are to use the back of the hand when screening sensitive body areas, which include the breasts (females only), genitals, and buttocks. TSA said this will make the experience more comfortable for women. Really?!